Former President Donald Trump‘s YouTube channel will “remain suspended,” the company said Wednesday, pointing to an “ongoing potential for violence” in the wake of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.
YouTube suspended Trump’s channel earlier this month, meaning it could not upload new videos or livestreams, after Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat banned the president’s accounts from their platforms.
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“In light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, the Donald J. Trump channel will remain suspended,” a YouTube spokesperson told Fox News. “Our teams are staying vigilant and closely monitoring for any new developments.”
YouTube also told Fox News that comments will continue to be indefinitely disabled under videos from Trump’s channel.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said earlier this month that Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts would be blocked “indefinitely,” saying he believed that “the risks” of allowing Trump to continue to use the platform “are simply too great.”
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey also said Trump would be “permanently” suspended, but said he does “not celebrate or feel pride” in the decision to “ban @realDonaldTrump.”
“I believe this was the right decision for Twitter,” Dorsey continued. “We faced an extraordinary and untenable circumstance, forcing us to focus all of our actions on public safety. Offline harm as a result of online speech is demonstrably real, and what drives our policy and enforcement above all.”
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Dorsey acknowledged that taking such actions “fragment the public conversation”, “divide us” and “limit the potential for clarification, redemption, and learning.” He also admitted that the power of his corporation in the “global public conversation” has set a “dangerous” precedent.
“The check and accountability on this power has always been the fact that a service like Twitter is one small part of the larger public conversation happening across the internet. If folks do not agree with our rules and enforcement, they can simply go to another internet service,” Dorsey wrote.
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The social media companies made the decision to ban Trump from their platforms after he posted a video urging supporters to “go home,” after they stormed the Capitol during a joint-session of Congress to certify the presidential election results for President Biden. Five people died, including a Capitol Police officer, but maintained that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from Trump.
